November 17, 2016

Highlighted Year: Larry Brown, 1970

Halfback, Washington
Redskins

Age: 23
(Sept. 19)

2nd
season in pro football & with Redskins

College: Kansas State

Height: 5’11”Weight: 195

Prelude:

Brown played
two seasons at Kansas State after transferring from Dodge City Junior College
and had an undistinguished career, rushing for 684 yards and catching 13
passes. An eighth round pick by the Redskins in the 1969 NFL draft, Brown led
the team in rushing as a rookie with 888 yards on 202 carries (4.4 avg.) and
caught 34 passes for another 302 yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1970 Season Summary

Appeared in 13
of 14 games

[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 237
[2]

Most
attempts, game – 27 (for 110 yds.) at Philadelphia 10/4

Yards – 1125
[1]

Most yards,
game – 139 yards (on 17 carries) vs. NY Giants 11/29

Average gain
– 4.7 [3]

TDs – 5 [13,
tied with eleven others]

100-yard
rushing games – 6

Pass
Receiving

Receptions – 37

Most
receptions, game – 9 (for 76 yds.) at Oakland 10/19

Yards – 341

Most yards,
game – 76 (on 9 catches) at Oakland 10/19

Average gain
– 9.2

TDs – 2

Scoring

TDs – 7 [18,
tied with nine others]

Points – 42

Awards & Honors:

1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly

1st
team All-NFC: AP, UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Redskins went
6-8 to finish fourth in the NFC East.

Aftermath:

Brown’s
production dropped off to 948 yards in 1971 as defenses keyed on him, but he
was selected to a third Pro Bowl and received consensus first-team All-NFC recognition.
He was the consensus league MVP in ’72 as he led the NFC in rushing with 1216
yards and the Redskins reached the Super Bowl. Brown ran for 860 yards and
caught 40 passes in 1973, but the workhorse runner began to show signs of wear
in ’74 and totaled just 838 yards over the last three seasons of a career spent
entirely with Washington that ended in 1976. Overall, he rushed for 5875 yards
on 1530 attempts (3.8 avg.) and caught 238 passes for 2485 yards (10.4 avg.) while
scoring a total of 55 touchdowns. Brown was a consensus first-team All-NFL
selection twice, received first-team All-NFC honors after one other season, and
was selected to four Pro Bowls.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories: